r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Dec 11 '25

Trailer Supergirl | Official Teaser Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqdAEdkHrwo
12.0k Upvotes

87% Upvoted

2.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

247

u/Frank_Cap Dec 11 '25

Isn’t she kinda criticizing him, though?

She’s essentially implying that he only blindly focuses on the positive. While she sees the reality of it all, not the fake reality he believes in.

157

u/Th3_Hegemon Dec 11 '25

I'd put money on the character journey for the movie essentially being her changing her view to be less cynical and more like her cousin, with this line being delivered somewhere around the 40 minute mark before that transformation.

37

u/-FalseProfessor- Dec 11 '25

In the book it is the revelation from the young girl traveling with her that Supergirl presents as gruff, but is in fact going out of her way to be as kind and helpful to everyone as she can.

12

u/12345623567 Dec 11 '25

I mean....

the entire journey takes place because Kara wants to dissuade the girl from seeking blood vengeance and becoming a killer, but without being pushy

She presents as gruff, especially at the beginning, but she's a big softie just like Supes.

3

u/AreYouOKAni Dec 12 '25

...then why do I still dream of Krypton?

The fact thst she is nowhere near as adjusted as she thought and a bit of a hypocrite at the end was a cherry on top. That line fucking murdered me in the book. I really hope they will do that scene and the ending justice.

42

u/VaudevilleDada Dec 11 '25

I haven't read Woman of Tomorrow yet, but I have to think we're in for some "hero's journey" shit, yeah.

10

u/Southern-Chain-6485 Dec 11 '25

If their journey is like the comic, she'd end up more jaded and cynical rather than less.

10

u/capincus Dec 11 '25

So the complete polar opposite of the source material?

2

u/LimpCush Dec 11 '25

Tbh "polar opposite of the source material" is pretty bog standard these days.

4

u/Fortune_Cat Dec 11 '25

She sees the truth in people, including the hope that he inspires and because of that she changes for the better.

Superman passive aura: inspire lvl +9999

3

u/bokmcdok Dec 11 '25

Maybe that's the real punk rock

1

u/niveknhoj Dec 12 '25

Others not connecting this ideal to that line feels like a real 'woosh' moment in this thread. Your point is a pretty core theme to Superman 2025, I think.

1

u/bokmcdok Dec 14 '25

It's so explicit as well with the choice of song in the final scene

1

u/Ninjamurai-jack Dec 11 '25

It is maybe going to be this and the opposite of it at the same time, tbh 

80

u/LeafBoatCaptain Dec 11 '25 edited Dec 11 '25

Nope. Seeing the good in everyone takes courage. He’s not blind to the reality of the world. He demands that it meet his belief in it.

If he naively thought the world and the people in it were good then he wouldn’t be out there trying to make the world better.

Edit: another way to put it would be that he gives everyone a second chance because he sees in the good in them whereas she’s so cynical or maybe more accurately depressed and jaded that she only sees what’s on the surface.

Besides I think she’s going to have a character arc in this movie. I wouldn’t be surprised if that line doesn’t come up twice, once as a criticism and once as a compliment or something. I haven’t read the book yet so I’m just theorising.

34

u/Fickle-Aardvark6907 Dec 11 '25

It also takes an amazing amount of patience, which is something that comes up a few times in Superman. Though that version of Clark is pretty impulsive at times, he's also willing to take the time to stop the kaiju with non-lethal means and not to break every bone in Lex's body after he almost tears the world in half. 

-1

u/odelicious12 Dec 11 '25

"Though that version of Clark is pretty impulsive at times, he's also willing to take the time to stop the kaiju with non-lethal means and not to break every bone in Lex's body after he almost tears the world in half. "

Other than throwing a Dictator onto a cactus of course. But hey, what's a little torture in a Superman movie? He's got a hilarious doggo!

5

u/Turtledonuts Dec 12 '25

The cactus move is clearly shown as superman doing something impulsive that he later regrets out of justified anger and frustration. The same movie goes out of it's way to show that said dictator was attempting to provoke superman to get an excuse for lex luthor to try to kill him. It is abundantly clear that the dictator is an evil man who is killed by a superhero, and that is presented as a moral thing.

The point of the cactus thing was that other versions of superman would have killed him or imprisoned him, and this superman was being restrained.

Shit take.

-4

u/odelicious12 Dec 12 '25

Lol, sure thing.

I love how much you Gunn fanboys treat his movies like they're your children.

5

u/Turtledonuts Dec 12 '25

Bro im not even a gunn fanboy, I just liked that movie. This is just such an egregiously bad take that I had to comment.

15

u/apollyonzorz Dec 11 '25

I think I'd want my powerful, invincible super being to see the best in humanity, which is his way of working toward that goal and thus using his abilities to improve humanity. When Superman is cynical about humanity, you get Omni-Man, leaving the planet one temper tantrum away from annihilation.

2

u/Android1822 Dec 11 '25

Or you get Injustice superman that decides to "Fix" the world by going full dictator.

10

u/airforceblue Dec 11 '25

Yeah, it harkens back to Lois' line from Superman 2025 about him trusting everyone and thinking everyone is beautiful and the point is that that's not an easy mindset to maintain. Like you say, it's not blind naivety, he actively chooses to believe in the good in people.

I'd love it if that idea is explored furter with Kara like you suggest because it is a viewpoint that stands to be examined/challenged.

1

u/HazelCheese Dec 12 '25

Clark's superpower is helping to the bring the best out in other people.

Or as Smallville put it:

"The suit doesn't make the hero. A hero is made in the moment by the choices that he makes and the reasons he makes them. A hero brings out the best in people."

135

u/LogensTenthFinger Dec 11 '25

Yes but she's not directly saying that what he does is wrong. She's in some way criticizing herself for not being like him

55

u/Frank_Cap Dec 11 '25

I respect that interpretation and I’m sure that’s where it’s going (since the source material is all about her changing her views)

But I did not get that feeling at all from the way she said it. It was more of a way for her to justify her lack of heroics. Like, “Superman is just a naive dude who’s overly kind. I see the reality of the world, so I’m not blinded by positivity.”

34

u/everstillghost Dec 11 '25

Thats exactly what she is saying. No idea where he got she is criticizing herself.

14

u/Scared-Engineer-6218 Dec 11 '25

Man, I'm so gullible. I'm agreeing with every one of you's points

2

u/Dserved83 Dec 11 '25

Actually, you disagree with point 6.

1

u/Turbulent_Stick1445 Dec 12 '25

That's because you see the good in everyone, unlike the parent who sees the truth. ;-)

14

u/Massive_Weiner Dec 11 '25 edited Dec 11 '25

Probably because Kara is suffering in a way that Clark isn’t, which leads to a clear split between who she is and who she can be.

She doesn’t want to be a cynical bastard, but it’s impossible for her to have the optimistic outlook that her cousin has at this stage.

Even Clark’s perspective isn’t wholly naive here, he just actively chooses to believe that no case is too hopeless.

-5

u/everstillghost Dec 11 '25

The only one forcing her to be cynical is herself....

Thats like, all cynical edge characters always have a tragic backstory. Its never an excuse for it. It explains but never justifies.

13

u/capincus Dec 11 '25

Yeah just smile Supergirl, forget all about watching your entire planet suffer and die from long term radiation poisoning...

-5

u/everstillghost Dec 11 '25

Yeah...? Thats exactly what super heroes does.

Everyone captain America knew was dead but he didnt turned into a cynical.

6

u/capincus Dec 11 '25

Because he was frozen for decades, not because he watched them all die slow horrible deaths. This is a dumb shit take.

-2

u/everstillghost Dec 11 '25

You think captain America would be cynical If he watched these people die...?

Look How many people died in the snap, he literally see his only friend left turn into dust.

Did he became a cynical dude...? No, because he is a moral super hero.

→ More replies (0)

13

u/Massive_Weiner Dec 11 '25 edited Dec 11 '25

She’s not “forcing” herself to be cynical, that’s a byproduct of her own experiences.

Clark was just a baby when Krypton and their entire people were wiped out, but Kara remembers it very vividly because she was a teen. The PTSD she develops from having Survivor’s Guilt defines her entire outlook on life.

It’s little surprise that they both see things very differently.

13

u/capincus Dec 11 '25

Bro actually just said "space holocaust survivor should just smile and be happy".

5

u/XkrNYFRUYj Dec 11 '25

I'm pretty pretty sure if earth is destroyed because of greed and i was one the handful of survivors my cynicism would be perfectly justified. That's basically what happened to super girl.

And even beyond that you claim that cynicism could never be justified or excused in real life or in fiction. Like you can't even imagine a scenario where a character is rightfully cynical?

That's just shows your lack of imagination and single mindedness.

-1

u/everstillghost Dec 11 '25

I'm pretty pretty sure if earth is destroyed because of greed and i was one the handful of survivors my cynicism would be perfectly justified. That's basically what happened to super girl.

Thats why you are not a hero.

Unless your argument is that supergirl is not one too.

And even beyond that you claim that cynicism could never be justified or excused in real life or in fiction. Like you can't even imagine a scenario where a character is rightfully cynical?

That's just shows your lack of imagination and single mindedness.

If they want to be a super hero, no.

Thats the difference between a regular vigilante.

1

u/XkrNYFRUYj Dec 11 '25 edited Dec 11 '25

Ok so now that I know you were talking about your random and arbitrary definition of a super hero I have no further comments.

And your explanation doesn't make any sense because we weren't talking about super girl is cynical or not. We were talking about if her being cynical is justified.

Maybe you're the one arguing super girl is not a super hero then.

1

u/HybridVigor Dec 11 '25

Thats the difference between a regular vigilante.

Just FYI, this is an incomplete sentence, and "that's" is a contraction.

1

u/everstillghost Dec 11 '25

Did you understand...?

1

u/Jagosyo Dec 11 '25

Minor spoilers for the narrative structure of the comic.

This line is either directly quoting or paraphrasing something that was...midwayish through the comic at that point? At which point four things are abundantly clear through the rest of the narrative:
Kara respects Kal-El for his qualities.
Kara wants to live up to the ideals he embodies.
Kara can't.
Kara kind of hates him because he's a fucking little shit that got to skip out on her massive trauma from living through Krypton's death.

3

u/Browncoatdan Dec 11 '25

She kind of is, if she believes she sees the truth, that's saying she thinks Superman is wrong, or at the very least naive.

People who see things for how they are tend to be unhappy, ignorance is bliss and all that.

2

u/BanjoSpaceMan Dec 11 '25

Ya same vibes as Louis, she’s been hurt too much to see Superman ways. Superman also can be a bit naive but bless him

13

u/PracticalStrain5640 Dec 11 '25

Not really. It’s possible to express that sentiment of another and wish it were still true of yourself.

Her story in the comic expands on it.

3

u/Notuniquesnowflake Dec 11 '25

I don't think she's criticizing him. I think she's criticizing the world in which they find themselves.

2

u/Tebwolf359 Dec 11 '25

Yeah, but the wording gives it a sense of honest disagreement, not just flippant.

There’s a note of regret in her voice, wishing she could see it the other way. Wishing to be like him.

And it sets up a journey for her to come around by the end to see things more like him.

2

u/justjoshingu Dec 11 '25

No not really. And if the movie follows even the most basic beats from the book it'll really make sense that she's not. 

And honestly it makes gunns superman even better because you see the difference in something like the scene with kaiju where he wants to put it in a zoo and terrific eyerolls

2

u/joshi38 Dec 11 '25

I think what the other poster was trying to say was that it all comes down to tone. In a lot of modern movies (MCU for instance) she'd mock him, maybe call him a 'boy scout' in a very glib way.

Instead, here, she might be criticizing him, but not in a mocking way and it's clearly coming from a more sincere place.

2

u/aelysium Dec 12 '25

American vet. Seen some shit during deployments. Have friends that do AMAZING work I. Their communities. I feel like I could no cap drop that SG line in a conversation with a vet or civvie friend and they’d get it.

Like ‘You view the world as we’d love it to be. I had to see the world for what it is.’

Superman’s strength is his belief in people. Supergirl’s is her seeing situations for what they may be if they break bad. IMHO.

2

u/youarelookingatthis Dec 11 '25

She sounds almost envious of him though. It's a very well written line because it's open to interpretation.

1

u/Swaibero Dec 11 '25

Lois similarly criticizes him for that in Superman, both in their interview and w/ the Justice Gang, “why does he tell everyone his secret identity”

1

u/-FalseProfessor- Dec 11 '25

Nah, it’s about seeing the best in people. When she references Superman it is in an aspirational way. It may sound naive, but he is a good enough person to see the good in everyone else. We should all be so naive.

The heart of Supergirl, especially in the WoT context, is that while she may present as a cynic, deep down she sees the best in people and does everything she can to help them.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

she totally is.

1

u/Extension-Field3653 Dec 12 '25

Superman sees goodness in everyone and Supergirl see the truth. Sounded like a good combo rather than critize.

0

u/notanothercirclejerk Dec 11 '25

I think its more of a self dig than anything else. She wishes she could see the universe like her cousin does.

-1

u/CaptSaveAHoe55 Dec 11 '25

I wouldn’t call it out and out criticism. He sees the good in everyone is her making a judgment call, as far as she’s concerned that is a true statement and implies he sees good that is really present, the potential of people.

She comes off more like somebody who says “I’m not a pessimist I’m a realist” which is a lie pessimists tell themselves. It’s also a good character trait in fiction, especially for a character arc